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April 2019 Inspiration

April 1, 2019 Leave a Comment

Let the rains of April begin…so we can have all the May flowers! Anyway, it’s April. It’s also April 1st so watch out for the April fool’s day jokes. Eep.

And without further ado, some things I’m loving this month!

What I’m Being Inspired By

Current Jam:

Need a beautifully sad song with strong lyrics and haunting vocals? Go no farther than the above video. This song buries itself in my bones, and I sing it over my community as a blessing. But, if you’re looking for something to work to, maybe try “Vertigo.” Or if you want something to earthy dance to, then try “bad guy.”

Current Food:

These Cheerios are chocolate and peanut butter. They are the best little snack when I’m feeling something sweet, but I don’t want to indulge in something quite as decadent as ice cream!

Andddddddd, this smoked brisket was some of the best meat I’ve ever had. I mean, I just LOVE smoked everything. Have you ever tried smoked paprika? BEST. thing. EVER.

Current Read:

This plain book has been a companion to me most morning. And the cover seems to say, “boring, dry, liturgical.” Do not be fooled. This book offers poetic thoughts and sometimes prose on being human and finding God in the monotony of our lives. It’s uproarious and honest and seeking.

Current Obsession:

Aloft Circus has been touring a show called Brave Space the last couple of weekends, and they brought their show to Pittsburgh. I attended the early show, and I loved it so much that I returned for the late show.

Current Quote:

Sometimes we just NEED to prioritize rest. And that’s just the wisest thing that you can do. I’m a push-through-it kind of girl. So this is a mindful quote to remember as spring vaults into summer.

What’s Inspiring YOU?

Charlottesville, Virginia: Four Things to Do

March 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

My sister and I took a quick trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, and it was meant as a getaway. I still worked my day job, and she still did school prep. But we loved our rented cottage that we found through Airbnb, but it’s called Bailey’s Retreat…and YOU SHOULD GO!

An easy twenty-minute drive to anything we wanted to do in Charlottesville, our cottage at Bailey’s Retreat offered the perfect escape. The wood-burning fireplace made the space even cheerier, and on a clear night, the stars made me blink. They were so bright!

While in Charlottesville, we visited Monticello, hiked, strolled the historic downtown mall, and visited CrossFit Solidarity.

Monticello

Thomas Jefferson’s home of Monticello is definitely a site to behold. The home offers an interesting glimpse into the personal life of the writer of the Declaration of Independence. The man clearly greatly respected education and learning.

While we were at Monticello during the early spring so the grounds were not floral in any sense, it was clearly a picturesque spot with views from every area of the property.

My favorite part of Monticello was the clock in the front hall that not only tracked the time but also told the day of the week with cannonballs.

The Historic Downtown Mall

We truly had fun finding the downtown mall because it’s only for pedestrians. We finally opted to park in the parking garage, and when we came out of the stairwell, we were there. My sister joked, “It’s like Narnia.”

Spread out before us was a bricked length with stores and restaurants lining it. In the middle, tables lounged, waiting for walkers to sit for meals. Although the temperature was mild, the chilly little breezes had us choose the indoor option for the Citizen Burger Bar. Here are some places we ate.

At the end of the downtown mall, there was even a movie theater!

Hiking

The hiking options were many since Charlottesville sits near the Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Appalachian Trail. Although we both enjoy hiking, we didn’t really want to have an hour-long drive to any of the heartier options.

We opted for the Saunders-Monticello Trail, and we wandered the pathways for a few hours. We saw runners, walkers, and bike tracks.

CrossFit Solidarity

One of the benefits of being a part of the CrossFit community is the ability to drop-in to boxes all over the world.

While Charlottesville has two CrossFit boxes, we opted for CrossFit Solidarity. Why? Well, their website is pretty sweet, but also, we checked the workouts that were planned. And yes, we chose by the workout.

You see, we planned to only do CrossFit once in the few days that we were in town, and so we wanted to choose our workout! The coaches were knowledgeable, and the members of the gym were really friendly. So if you’re a CrossFitter and you’re headed to Charlottesville, definitely drop-in to CrossFit Solidarity.

Anyway, it was a great trip, and it would be fun to go to Charlottesville again!

Charlottesville, Virginia: Four Places to Eat

March 18, 2019 1 Comment

When you travel, do you travel for the eats? I definitely LOVE to plan my day around my food, whether it’s an average day or a traveling day. And this trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, was no exception.

For the record, I love home cooking, and we did a lot of that while visiting Virginia! But I wanted to highlight Three Notch’d Brewing Company, Citizen Burger Bar, Chaps Ice Cream, and the Pigeon Hole! Also, I wish I had taken about 20 more pictures than I did.

Three Notch’d Brewing Company

Charlottesville is a hot spot for breweries and wineries. Though my sister and I discussed doing a wine or beer tour, we settled on doing our own thing. So we visited Three Notch’d Brewing Company.

Housed in a warehouse, the high ceilings and industrial design was an immediately cool vibe. Long communal tables gave the option for making new friends or you could sit at smaller tables with just your party.

The open style kitchen allowed you to see the food making process, and large windows displayed the distillery.

My sister and I opted to share a flight of beers, each choosing two options, and then we split the Lobster Mac n’ Cheese and the butternut squash salad. SO FREAKING GOOD. I’d go again (also, it doesn’t help that I’m writing this while being hungry)

Citizen Burger Bar

On the historic downtown mall in Charlottesville, you’ll find a number of bookstores, clothing boutiques, and restaurants. This beautifully bricked pathway offers the perfect place to stroll, teasing you to ignore life’s responsibilities and relax. I laughed aloud when I saw one store was named The Impeccable Pig. Can you guess what they were selling?

My sister and I were on the hunt for food, and after checking all the menus along the historic mall, we returned to the Citizen Burger Bar. The bare-bricked interior and low lighting was just the vibe we wanted. We slid into a massive booth with deep cushions, and our waitress filled us in on the details.

Citizen Burger Bar is ALL about offering delicious food from amazing ingredients: local everything, farm fresh, homemade, nothing a

rtificial.

My favorite option was the ability to custom build your own burger! You better believe I went with that option (and so did Deborah). I opted not to get a side, but I stole some sweet potato fries from my sister (and they were GIANT).

My custom burger was beef patty, lettuce wrap, grilled onion, fresh jalapeno, mushrooms, and provolone cheese. Every bite was exquisite.

I’d do it again…maybe minus the jalapenos so I could taste other things too. Hahaha.

Chaps Ice Cream

A few stores over from Citizen Burger Bar, you can choose between Chaps Ice Cream or a gelato option. We almost did the gelato, but I was drawn to the 50s decor of Chaps. And so off we went to this little shop that boasts tiny booths with azul vinyl and coat racks. My sister controlled herself and opted for one scoop of chocolate ice cream.

I never meant to share this photo, but hey, I didn’t take any other ones. Ha.

And I, well I, am a true lover of ice cream so I ordered a scoop of each. Just kidding. I ordered a scoop of Birthday Cake and Black Raspberry.

Swoon. Worthy.

One of my favorite parts of the experience was being served by a frazzled, white-haired lady. With an onslaught of visitors, she sped around the back counter, helping each of us.

The Pigeon Hole

Set on a side street off of the main drag through the University of Virginia campus, The Pigeon Hole is a house converted into a restaurant. Step up the stairs, and you’ll begin to meet the character of the house. Swing open the front door to be greeted by a hostess, who’s probably a student at the nearby school.

When we arrived on a Thursday morning in the middle of spring break, we were the only customers. We got to choose our own table, and we sat in front of a window that spilled in sunshine.

The menu offered all of the most common breakfast options, and I went right for the Messenger: two pancakes, two eggs, and two pieces of bacon with your choice of a side. Hello, cheesy grits. Never have I ever tried cheesy grits, but I’m telling you…delicious.

My sister chose the french toast with cheesy grits, and we were both happy campers.